| Course: | First Year Seminar: Puzzles and Paradoxes: Time Travel, Infinity, and Beyond. |
| Time: | Spring 2013, MWF, 03:10:30-11:20; 04: 1:30- 2:20. |
| Location: | 03: North Court 103; 04: North Court 201 |
| Instructor: | Geoff Goddu, x8733 or 330-2904 (absolutely no later than 10 pm!) |
| Office Hours: | W: 11:30-1:00; T: 10-12:30; R: 11:30 - 1:00, and by appt. North Court 216. |
Description: What are we to make of the sentence "I am lying now" or the possibility that there is an infinite amount of stuff in the universe or that if backward time travel were possible it seems you could prevent your father from ever meeting your mother? This course will explore potential solutions to these, and many other, conundrums. In addition we will explore the process of producing solutions and the impediments to producing solutions.
| Requirements: | Ten Problem Sets (5% each) |
50% |
| Two Short Papers (8% each) | 16% | |
| Long Paper (First Version: 10%; Final 14%) | 24% | |
| Participation/Questions | 10% |
Honor Code: Satisfaction of all requirements must be your own individual and independent work and must satisfy the conditions of the honor pledge.
Attendance: Every unexcused absence will result in a deduction of 1% from the total grade achieved satisfying the class requirements. You are responsible for all assigned material.
Provisional Schedule: [All readings and exercises are due at the beginning of class.]
| Day | Date | Topic | Requirements Due |
| 1 | M 1/14 | Introduction | |
| 2 | W 1/16 | Ruts and Shortcuts | Kahneman 4, 11 |
| 3 | F 1/18 | Liars and Truthtellers | |
| 4 | M 1/21 | Paradoxical Sentences [04: 1-1:50] | Lord Dunsany, Dickson |
| 5 | W 1/23 | Ambiguity and Stipulation | Problem Set 1 |
| 6 | F 1/25 | Vagueness | |
| 7 | M 1/28 | Recursiveness | Surprise Quiz |
| 8 | W 1/30 | Probability I | Problem Set 2 |
| 9 | F 2/1 | Probability II | Kahneman 30 |
| 10 | M 2/4 | Decision Theory I | Pascal |
| 11 | W 2/6 | Decision Theory II | Problem Set 3 |
| 12 | F 2/8 | Decision Theory III |
|
| 13 | M 2/11 | Finding the Flaw | |
| 14 | W 2/13 | Magic | Problem Set 4 |
| 15 | F 2/15 | Best Explanations | |
| 16 | M 2/18 | Riddles | |
| 17 | W 2/20 | Group Tasks | Problem Set 5 |
| 18 | F 2/22 | Infinity |
|
| 19 | M 2/25 | Infinity and God | Aquinas, |
| 20 | W 2/27 | Answer Day | Problem Set 6 |
| 21 | F 3/1 | Infinity and God | Craig |
| 22 | M 3/4 | Infinity and Supertasks | |
| 23 | W 3/6 | Impossible Tasks? | Problem Set 7 |
24 |
F 3/8 | Foreknowledge | |
| Spring Break | Spring Break | ||
| 25 | M 3/18 | Long Paper Set-up | |
| 26 | W 3/20 | Library Lab: Boatwright B26 | Library Guide |
| 27 | F 3/22 | Identity | Short Paper #1 |
| 28 | M 3/25 | Identity | Goddu /Dick |
| 29 | W 3/27 | Identity | Problem Set 8 |
| 30 | F 3/29 | Identity | Hanley |
| 31 | M 4/1 | Identity | |
| 32 | W 4/3 | Time Travel | Problem Set 9 |
| 33 | F 4/5 | Time Travel | |
| 34 | M 4/8 | Time Travel | Hanley / Heinlein |
| 35 | W 4/10 | Time Travel | LePoidevin, Problem Set 10 |
| 36 | F 4/12 | Time Travel | Lewis |
| 37 | M 4/15 | Time Travel | Ehring / Hudec, Short Paper #2 |
| 38 | W 4/17 | Time Travel | Goddu / Brown, Brown |
| 39 | F 4/19 | Time Travel | Long Paper First Version |
| 40 | M 4/22 | Poverty | From Poverty to Prosperity; Understanding and Reducing Poverty in America |
| 41 | W 4/24 | Poverty | |
| 42 | F 4/26 | Poverty |